Madden NFL 08 Wii
User Score
6.8 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 8 out of 27

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. CA
    Aug 15, 2007
    5
    The controls are extremely buggy especially in the passing game. Sometimes it takes 4-5 throw motions with the wiimote to pass, and by that time you are already sacked. Also there is no controls to reverse cycle through your players pre-snap so if you accidentally pass up the player you want, you have to cycle all over again. There is no way to set a reciver hot-route unless you show your play with the 'b' button as well as there is no way to choose primary reciver without giving up your play. Although you cant even choose a play in 2player mode without your opponent seeing exactly what it is. I have played this game for only a couple hours and I have noticed many, many, many glitches, its almost like the reviewers never actually played the game and are just giving it an 80 cause it sounds ok. This game was probably pushed out too early as it is LOADED with bugs. These arent just programming bugs (like a running back freezing in the middle of the field, glitching out and fumbling the ball; or not being able to sprint into the endzone (because the sprint button makes you showboat into the endzone...VERY ANNOYING in the rush attack mini-game)) There are basic football principles that apparently EA doesnt know about. Such as intercepting a pass in the endzone, downing it and getting a safety called on you. Pretty much the only saving grace of this game is that it still has Al Michaels and John Madden commentating instead of that bafoon on xbox360 and Ps3. When Madden took over exclusive rights to the NFL liscense, many people warned of the failures of having no competition (pushing out games every year with no innovation just to make their yearly buck). I believe this principle has been clearly shown in Madden 08 for Wii. If you are still curious about this game because of the media attention it will most likely cause (madden nation hooplah) please, for your own good. RENT BEFORE YOU BUY.… Expand
  2. JargonJ.
    Oct 24, 2007
    2
    As long as the Wii doesn't become gimmicky, this system will be fine. Unfortunately for the Wii, it's become gimmicky. If you are going to have graphics of such a poor quality, you must deliver with intuitive gameplay and a unique and perfect control scheme. The inability of EA to adapt PERFECTLY to the game. There shouldn't be any issues with moving the controller after the snap. In the NFL if the ball is still at the QB's waist he's not going to throw the ball of his back leg, for no apparent reason. That's it - plain and simple.… Expand
  3. VladV.
    Aug 23, 2007
    8
    i'd love to give this game a 9, but there are bugs.......... OVERALL: it is very fun to play (but some bugs), and the controls are great (but if you're working for EA, don't settle, they could be made better). THE MYTHS: there IS online play (dont listen to Brian G); and the passing is just fine (CA probably hasn't gotten used to the motion yet, does it too rapidly at a downward angle), though it does help to be standing for ANY Wii game, but i manage fine even sitting; and it should be hard to strip the ball while running at someone, so don't complain that the #1 button is so far, boohoo (JS probably never played a corner position). THE BUGS: Some bugs in franchise mode. The menus froze on me 3 times already (it's only been 2 weeks). In online play mode, kicking the ball is buggy to the point of sometimes completely failing to make the kick (it doesn't happen often, but it is still unacceptable). the infamous blurring bug is not as annoying as you would think, but it's annoying enough to knock down points. i haven't played a 2player local game, i bet CA's comments at the bottom are absolutely on point for that, just because of how the plays get chosen, but the hot-route can be hidden if you do it fast enough i bet. I'm sure there are many features to be discovered in this game that resolve some of CA's valid complaints as you gain expertise --- the key here is that the Wii Madden was made for rookies to be able to easily pick up and have fun with it before they know all the complex controls, and the Wii madden succeeded in this (family play mode, natural movement juke moves and throws, etc). But as you learn all the controls and gain expertise, the game is still great. I really think some of the complaints here arise from not knowing the game well-enough.… Expand
  4. OssB.
    Aug 20, 2007
    9
    This is a really fun game. I have never a been a football fan, but this game intrigued me so I bought it. Many of the complaints from the other reviewers are wrong because the people never took the time to experiment with the controls. The controls work just fine if you aren't spazzing out and throwing your arms in wild desperation. Most likely they were trying to play the game while sitting on their rumps and trying to burn as little calories as possible.… Collapse
  5. P.B.
    Sep 2, 2007
    8
    So many bad reviews for this game. One complaint heard over and over is the blur effect. If you don't press (A) while your linemen are walking up to the ball the blur effect will never happen again. Another complaint is the QB is throwing the ball without the command of the remote. This happens because the player is unknowingly lowering the remote after the QB snap. Just keep the remote pointed up until you intend to pass. The 1up reviewer said he was slapping himself in the face while attempting a kick. WOW. Not only are you a horrible reviewer, but your also a horrible player. He also made this ignorant statement, "For most sports gamers, the Wii is little more than a novelty; an amusing yet insubstantial distraction that can't keep pace with the big new-gen hitters." Well I am a sports gamer and your a joke. Madden 08 for the wii is a fun NEW way of playing an old favorite.… Expand
  6. Craig
    Jan 4, 2008
    4
    I love football games, and always find myself playing this game, but I do find a lot of problems with Madden 08 for the Nintendo Wii. Especially with the online play. First off, the passing...is horrible when playing online. Im not sure if its due to the excessive lag you have when you play online, but when you press a certain receiver(left, right, down, up) id say 60% of the time will not pass to the receiver you want. It gets very frustrating when this happens. Thats really the main problem with this game. The passing is horrible, especially for online play. The game itself is fun, but once you start playing online, its a whole new ballgame. Your play changes so much its ridiculous. Whether it be just trying to connect to the server, getting disconnected while playing, excessive lag, very poor passing(possible due to lag), not being able to let go of the ball faster than you want. This all leads to a very miserbale, non-fun, non-competetive online play.… Expand
  7. ChawsH.
    Jul 13, 2007
    10
    Great graphics, much improved and variations.
  8. JS
    Aug 17, 2007
    3
    This is a terrible excuse for an EA title. The Wii version of Madden 08 is buggy, missing key features and has a few very annoying control differences from the original. Case in point regarding the controls: you must use 1 to strip the ball on defence, which is near impossible when you're trying to run at a guy holding B; also, many of the menus in the game do not allow column sorting because all of the buttons are being used for something else. As for the bugs, there is a throwing glitch most noticeable during online play, where the QB throws immediately following the snap - as far as I can tell, this is not a anti-cheese feature. I have had the game freeze a few times but there doesn't seem to be a pattern yet. Missing features are perhaps the most annoying part of this game: there is no create-a-player, team, playbook or stadium; you can't move/rename a team in franchise mode; and you can't use or edit alternate uniforms. All of these features were popular during 07 and are in other versions of the game. Party mode is the only plus I can talk about right now (I don't even like online play): there are a few mini-games that are party specific that are neat and is a fun alternative when playing with a group of friends. As I said, online play is not what many would expect. There are frequent disconnects with EA servers for no reason at all, which will usually happen at the worst times - Murphy's law. Family controls are a neat idea, but not that appealing. If I was EA I wouldn't have bothered since many people playing this game will want to move the players around and frankly, I don't see my mother playing this game with me. Graphics do not seem improved on a standard tv, in fact they look worse (very bright and washed out) - and this is with a very good tube tv. All in all, the usability of this game is quite weak, it's missing key features that made the 07 version so popular and it has annoying bugs. This is a huge disappointment and does not deserve any of the positive ratings this or any other site have been giving it. From a true EA fan - this is by far a huge let down. Buy it for online play, but don't be expecting perfection. If you're playing offline mostly, buy 07 or wait for 09.… Expand
  9. JW
    Aug 19, 2007
    7
    The game is decent, its just hard getting use to all the motion controls. And yes there is online play, dont listen to the person who said there isnt. I just finished a game online with my buddy.
  10. ChrisJ.
    Sep 25, 2007
    10
    i think the game is difficult and that is a plus. I have been playing Madden since 1992 and I will say that the game thru out history has had a problem with it being to easy. The wii is great exersive and well as what I have been waiting for all my life " A REAL VIDEO GAME " where you actually have to move to comtrol the players. We have really steped in the next century with this madden. to all of the ones that say they are not happy with the game you are lazy and not like to be challenged. And lets be real people don't like things that are different than the norm. I don't think that I will master the game on ALL MADDEN after playing one regualr season like all the other maddens. In my eyes this is the best madden ever. Keep up the good work EA sports.… Expand
  11. WiiM.
    Nov 13, 2007
    8
    This is a great new way of playing Madden. I personally don't have '07 so I wanted to get the latest and greatest. Good choice, even though the Metascore was not as high as 07, i think that is because 07 was a big leap. I like the controls, you just have to be patent. I like how when you hold down A you can use the joystick to choose the player on Defense. The online play was good, but slight lag in the picking of plays. Sometimes kicking messes up too. Oh and, I haven't been able to finish a single online game because my opponents connection was lost. Very very annoying. Thats why i give it an eight and not a ten.… Expand
  12. BrianG.
    Aug 17, 2007
    4
    The game has no online play, even though it is advertised. Controls could be better. The graphics have a glitch where everything becomes blurred after a cpu controlled camera angle, it makes it difficult to see recievers on deep routes. Menu systems suck.
  13. SteveJ.
    Aug 18, 2007
    7
    The presentation and graphics are a little better, but there is definite room for improvement. The online play is laggy, ranging from 1 to 3 second lag (which is a lot of time in a twitch game such as Madden.) The movements are easier to pull of, which is a plus. The core gameplay from 07 hasn't changed that much. The Wii version doesn't fix "Mario Running" that much with some iffy collision detection, and gang tackles from the 360 and PS3 are missing, keeping the running game more successful than the passing game. You'll have a btter chance gaining yards up the middle than running complex routes, as the CPU corners stick to the wide receivers. There are some glitches here and there, such as the infamous camera blur glitch, but overall, this is still a solid game for single and local multiplayer games.… Expand
  14. DP
    Aug 21, 2007
    3
    Everything that J S said in his post is dead on. I have had the game for a few days now and playing it is not the same as playing it on a PS3 or on an XBOX. I initially thought it would be a great concept, but unfortunately they were unable to deliver. With all of the bugs and the poor graphics, it's a shame that EA has an exclusive contract with the NFL. I guess it is proving to be true that having a monopoly will bring down the quality of the product. Anyone want to buy my copy? it's now up for sale.… Expand
  15. ChrisS.
    Aug 23, 2007
    3
    What a huge disappointment. no create a player? this "game" seems so haphazardly thrown together. it's really disappointing. have the game has been thrown out. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING EA? i'm shocked that they would release a game that's so much worse than 2007. i wish EA would lose their NFL liscense. i want 2K sports making my NFL games after this piece of crap.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. GameDaily
    80
    Don't purchase Madden NFL 08 expecting beautiful visuals and slick looking menus. Buy it because you crave a more interactive experience as well as modes that you can't find in the other versions. With 22 mini games, trivia and fun controls, this gridiron giant runs the pigskin into the end zone.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    85
    The game makes great use of motion with better-implemented and easier to pull off moves than 07, it has more modes, far more multiplayer both locally and now online, and is generally superior in nearly every regard. On the flipside, Wii’s second Madden still suffers from a ton of last-generation bugs, with everything from moronic AI and cheap pass defense to disappearing pass icons and odd camera glitches that cloak the entire playfield in blur effects.
    Read full review
  3. Cheat Code Central
    84
    A great game. The new additions to the title are innovative and impact the gameplay positively. Online play will prove to be a boon for Wii owners, the Party mode helps make the title stand out on this console, and the high quality graphics make it competitive with the other versions.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »